With a big turn-out for the debut of Last Man Standing, leading into DWTS: The Results and Body of Proof, ABC marked its most competitive Tuesday this season with viewers and young adults. Finishing a strong #2 to CBS on the night, ABC beat out Fox’s Major League Baseball playoff coverage (Detroit-Texas Game 3) by 5.1 million viewers and 21% in Adults 18-49 and NBC’s original line up (2-hour The Biggest Loser/Parenthood) by 7.6 million viewers and by 45% in Adults 18-49.
In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC marked Tuesday season highs.
The Net was up over the same night last year by double-digit percentages with viewers (+26%) and young adults (+16%).
Opening as TV’s biggest 8pm comedy debut in more than 7 years, ABC’s 1-hour premiere of Last Man Standing finished a strong #2 during the 8 o’clock hour among viewers and young adults to CBS’ top-rated NCIS, pacing well ahead of Fox’s MLB ALCS playoffs and essentially doubling the opening hour of NBC’s The Biggest Loser 12. In addition, the freshman ABC comedy ran #1 in the hour and as Tuesday’s top-rated show with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34 (tied w/Dancing), while ranking as night’s highest-rated broadcast program with Kids 2-11. A good sign for future viewing, the new series saw its audience grow from its first half-hour to its second half-hour in both viewers (+4%) and young adults (+12%).
ABC’s debut of Last Man Standing qualifies a TV’s most-watched comedy series opener with an 8pm start on any night of the week since September 2004 and as the top-rated among Adults 18-49 since September 2006 – since 9/9/04 and 9/18/06, respectively.
Last Man Standing produced ABC’s highest Adult 18-49 rating during Tuesday’s 8 o’clock hour with regular programming in close to 2 years – since 11/10/09.
Self starter Last Man Standing is the season’s 2nd-most-watched new comedy debut, behind only CBS’ Two and a Half Men-fueled premiere of Two Broke Girls.
Taking advantage of its strong lead-in, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars: The Results hit season highs and registered as the most-watched TV show in the 9 o’clock hour for the 2nd week in a row. The broad-appealing ABC unscripted program also ranked #1 in its slot in Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). In addition, Dancing made ABC the #1 broadcaster in the hour with Kids 2-11. In fact it was the #1 TV show of the night with Women 18-34. Singer Chynna Phillips was the fourth celebrity contestant to leave the ABC dance competition this season.
Building its overall audience for the 2nd week running, DWTS: The Results posted its highest numbers this season with viewers and young adults. In addition, ABC’s The Results drew a bigger overall audience than on the same night last year.
ABC’s Body of Proof ranked as the 2nd-most-watched TV show in the 10 o’clock hour for the 4th week in a row, outdrawing NBC’s Parenthood by 4.1 million viewers.
Once again exhibiting much stronger lead-in retention for ABC in the hour year to year, Body of Proof improved its time period over the same night last year by strong margins in Total Viewers (+34%) and Adults 18-49 (+12%).
(source; ABC)
